THE GUIDE

executive summary by darmansjah

our expert on working holidays abroad, remote Pacific Islands and mozzle avoidance.

'Last year I had a great time working on a farm in France. where else can i go for a working holiday that will let me experience local life, and leave me some time to explore the area too? '

Vienna

By Tom Hall,

An underrated option for working abroad is to head to a big city in the EU, and get a job while you pick up more than the basics of a language. Vienna is a wonderful city to live and work in – and with a big expat community seasonal labor is required at the beach bars  which pop up b the Danube canal. For these, the earlier  in the season you arrive the better. The bars of the Bermudadreieck (Bermuda Triangle) are also an option, if you don’t mind that they’re touristy and hectic, if your are working evening, you can enjoy the Nationalbibliotek (National Library) itself to the less-heralded Esperarito Museum (onb.ac.at) you’ll need some German, and like with any casual work, a few lucky break; you make for a memorable season. You might find leads at virtual Vienna.net and dtails of short term room rentals at jobwohnen.at

Canada

By Robert Reid

The International Experience Canada initiative (IEC) negotiate bilateral reciprocal arrangements and agreement with countries around the world to offer travel authorization and temporary work permit for up to one year. There is not type of work that is off-limits, so you could theoretically temp your way at national parks, ski lifts and bars across Canada for part of the year and make some extra money for traveling as you go along. Otherwise , if you’re over 30, there are still jobs that don’t require working permits in Canada. For one, do you write?  Any journalist  can come to Canada and write about their experiences for either local publications and websites or those abroad or consider jugging Seriously. Circus and street performers = even those dreaded mimes – are welcome to work in Canada without a permit. Hey, it’s an option. See canadainternational.gc.ca for more information on IEC, or cic.gc.ca/English/work/apply-who=nopermit.asp for a list of the types of jobs that require don’t permit.

Oh, it’s big all right. Damn big. And we’re not referring to Canada’s size (a whopping 10 million sq km, making it the world’s second-largest country). What we’re talking about here is the handle on a Canadian beer case – big enough to fit your hands, even with mittens on. If you think that’s impressive, consider Canada’s other mondo attributes. Its terrain is filled with them, from mammoth mountains to hulking glaciers to immense polychromatic skies. Then there are the creatures that roam the terrain and its waterways – grizzly bear, moose, polar bear, humpback whales – each one huger than the next.

Canada is impossible to dislike, but go ahead and give it a shot. You don’t like festival-packed cities like Toronto and Montreal that offer the world’s best quality of life? Then take a double dose of history in St John’s, Newfoundland, North America’s oldest city. Not enamoured with the prospect of hiking, skiing or snowboarding over the cloud-poking mountains of Banff & Jasper National Parks? Try a slow ride through the wheat-waving prairies of Saskatchewan. You want a nosh lighter than Alberta beef or Nunavut whale blubber? Pick up ripe peaches and cheeses from the Kelowna’s local farmers’ markets.

And it’s a wonder everyone is so nice, given the weather. It’s cold, as in world’s-coldest-country cold (based on average temperatures nationwide), which explains the mitten-sized beer case handles. Snag, a town in the Yukon, recorded North America’s coldest temperature ever: minus 62.8°C.

Voltaire may have written off Canada as ‘a few acres of snow’ back in the mid-18th century, but those ‘few acres’ have yielded vast amounts of oil, timber and other natural resources, that in turn have propelled Canada to a very enviable standard of living.

Ready to go?

These tours & activities make it easy:

    Trek the high trails of the Canadian Rockies
    Explore western Canada's best national parks on foot
    Discover the majesty of Niagara falls

China

By Shawn Low

Teaching in a foreign country sounds like the ultimate working holiday ciche, but the demand for English teachers in China is rising. While Shanghai and Beijing may seem like the first ports of call. Nanjing is well worth considering, it was twice capital of China and today is farmed for being a university town and for tis intact Ming Dynasty city wall. It is close to Suzhou (with its Unesco-listed gardens) and Shanghai, making it a good base for short trips. There’s also a small, friendly expat community who communicate via najingexpat.com  placement are usually available at local universities and scholls. Once set up, your package includes accommodation and a one-way ticket home. There are several websites to check for jobs. Try eslcafe.com/jobs/china, esjobs.com and nanjingexpat.com You will reed to work out details with the school, and get an invitation letter to organize a Z-vis (employment visa) with the Chinese Embassy before starting work.